Alex Siniari and Dustin Miller – NJ tour

Alex Siniari

Alex Siniari

Dustin Miller

Dustin Miller

I’ve interviewed both Dustin Miller and Alex Siniari before on JerseyMic. I’ve talked about Alex’s blog before and I’ve seen them at a lot of open mics.

And if you’ve kept up on Alex’s blog, you’d see that the two of them have been working on an album together. And they’ve been preparing for their NJ tour.

They’ve planned the tour in “phases”. Every month is a new phase, and something new will be introduced into the show, or something will be built upon. Right now they switch back and forth playing their music, but as the months go on:

  • they’ll be playing on each other’s songs
  • there will be more instruments
  • they’ll be looping sounds behind them

And more. In fact, Dustin’s blog has a little droplet more (from the only post so far on thedrummist.blogspot.com):

Phase #2 – 10:
These phases of our “tour” will get increasingly complex, with a move towards using loop pedals and various other effects and instruments to create a fuller sound on stage. By Phase #10 we hope to achieve a “full band” effect, using drums, percussion, pre-recorded loops and ambient noises, multiple guitars, and other forms of sonic communication.

Alex’s site has an up-to-date listing of upcoming shows. Here’s what’s in store for now:

10/30/09 7PM The Treehouse Cafe Audubon NJ

10/31/09 7PM Trinity Irish Pub The Pier@ Caesers Atlantic CIty NJ

11/06/09 6PM The Groundhouse Pitman NJ

11/08/09 7PM The Twisted Tree Cafe Asbury Park NJ

I’ll keep you updated about the tour periodically, and if you want to show up to one of the dates, feel free to email me about it!

Tags: , ,

The BEST OF three open mics from this week! (Short clips)

JerseyMic.com is EXPLODING!

JerseyMic.com is EXPLODING!

I told you all about Ox Roxley last time. Now experience the amazing help he’s provided. Ox has made clips of the BEST OF three open mics:

  • BEST OF Gregorio’s Market Open Mic in Mays Landing NJ on Wednesday October 14th, 2009
  • BEST OF Sherlock’s Books and Cafe in Smithville on Thursday, October 15th, 2009
  • BEST OF The Music Boutique Open Mic from October 16th 2009

And here they are! Let me know below what you think! I’m in the last one somewhere.

Finally! Help at JerseyMic! Congratulations to me! 🙂

BEST OF Gregorio’s Market Open Mic in Mays Landing NJ on Wednesday October 14th, 2009:

BEST OF Sherlock’s Books and Cafe in Smithville on Thursday, October 15th, 2009

BEST OF The Music Boutique Open Mic from October 16th 2009

TAKE THAT, NEW JERSEY!

JerseyMic.com for the win.


Ox Roxley and the Music Boutique in Northfield 10-16-09

I went to the Music Boutique in Northfield NJ on Friday, October 16th, 2009.

I went there to meet Ox. Ox Roxley.

Ox Roxley

Ox Roxley "roxing" out at the Music Boutique

Ox Roxley is the name of the next set of hands helping out JerseyMic.com. He’s agreed to send me video clips from open mics he goes to, shortened to include the best 30 seconds from different acts of the night.

Be excited! He’s been to three other open mics this week alone, including:

And he’s got clips from the three of them! I’ll be uploading them here soon, but if you want to find out more about Ox Roxley, check out his myspace at:

http://www.myspace.com/oxroxley

He’s a Brigantine local and a very talented musician. Expect a blast of posts coming up with video clips from him and hopefully some reviews if he feels so inclined!

The Music Boutique

Ox Roxley | MySpace Music Videos

And if you feel like you want to volunteer and help out, send me an email through the “Email me” page

Tags: , , , ,

Review of the Bus Stop Music Cafe on Thursdays in Pitman, NJ

Performing at Bus Stop Music Cafe in Pitman NJ

Performing at Bus Stop Music Cafe in Pitman NJ

(Editor’s note: I’ve covered the Bus Stop Music Cafe before, but my pictures are nowhere near as awesome. Plus, Josh is a journalism student with a little more flair when it comes to description.)

The Bus Stop Music Café is a charming little coffee house nestled in downtown Pitman. Every Tuesday night from 7pm to 11pm, the lights dim, and are replaced by the warmth of lava lamps and twinkling strands of Christmas tree bulbs. Vic Martinson, owner and operator, sets out a few microphones, an amplifier and a blank clipboard. Over the next few hours, local musicians from all around will come to entertain customers at the weekly open mic, pausing only to enjoy some of the delicious drinks offered at the coffee bar. For a few brief hours the Café seems to exist as a cozy bastion, set apart from the rigors of everyday life, the inviting orange glow from inside drawing in weary travelers for a hot cup and some good tunes.

The Café opened in late 2005, and after four years it has a strong group of regulars. The atmosphere is comfortable, like a hole-in-the-wall bar without the cigarette smoke and the drunks. Seating is plentiful, and the café is filled with musical instruments of all kinds. Records and posters displaying imagery from every genre of music adorn the walls. This is mimicked in the variety of performers, who play everything from classic rock to emo, and 20’s blues to indie/soul.

The backend of Bus Stop

The back end of Bus Stop

Bus Stop welcomes newcomers warmly, with a hearty round of applause and a quiet attentiveness despite the fact that the Café is packed. Listeners are respectful of the artists, keeping conversation to a whisper during performances, and offering nothing but encouragement at the end of each song.

The coffee bar is joined by a full kitchen and a selection of gourmet ice creams, including seasonal flavors like pumpkin. A large compliment of organic products and Izze beverages are available as well, all at a very reasonable price. The back of the Café sports a small music shop, with guitar strings, tuners and other necessary supplies for the artist-in-need along with a fairly sizable selection of incense.

Theyve got an impressive music selection and interesting coffees.

They've got an impressive music selection and interesting coffees.

The main focus of the shop is the large music store set into the back corner. Bus stop has a veritable library of CDs, cassette tapes, and even old-school vinyl records for sale. They even have a special section dedicated to local artists.

Anyone is welcome at the open mic, regardless of skill level, provided there’s nothing too profane in the music. Bus Stop is a family venue, so swearing and “adult” language are discouraged. While alcohol is not served on the premises, there is a B.Y.O.B. policy in effect.

Yum!

Yum!

Bus Stop doesn’t have its own website, so for any more info about the open mic, or anything else concerning the café call them at 856-582-0009 or come in and ask. Questions are always welcome.

Thank you Josh!

Tags: , ,

New Calendar of Open Mic Nights in New Jersey


A new feature is the calendar, now available on the list of open mics page. You can integrate it into your own Google calendar. You can print it too! And it instantly maps the location. I’m repositioning some stuff on the site now, so the list page admittedly needs cleaning, but check it out!

Tags: , ,

Jersey Idol 2009 Garwood, NJ for St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center

The Crossroads

The Crossroads

So on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, I was an American Jersey Idol judge.

I was a judge for Jersey Idol, a charity event raising money for St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center. It was held at The Crossroads in Garwood, NJ. It was packed! There were no more seats left in the place. The parking lot was full, people needed to park on the street! I talked with some of the performers while we waiting for the sound equipment to be set up. I also took a *ton* of shots; 45 photos in all. See them in a slideshow at the bottom of the post.

This is part of the lot that was crammed with performers and attendees

This is part of the lot that was crammed with performers and attendees

The sound quality was great, Ă  la “Joe” the sound guy:

joe

Joe, the soundman without a last name

There were 17 finalists. Jersey Idol started at around 12pm and ended at around 3pm. Each performer had one song, one chance to impress the 5 of us. After performing, each judge gave a short critique and then rated the person (privately). At the end, the 5 judges deliberated, and we picked three winners. Congratulations to the winners:

  • Sebastian Rivera won the recording studio time
Sebastian Rivera

Sebastian Rivera won the recording studio at Soundwaves Studio!

  • Elaine Magentiren won the national anthem prize
Elaine Magentiren won the National Anthem prize!

Elaine Magentiren won the National Anthem prize at Patriot's Field!

  • “Kickdown” won the promotion consultation prize
"Kickdown" won the promotion consultation prize

"Kickdown" won the promotion consultation prize with LadyLake management

Here’s the list of the competitors, in order of performance:

  1. Pat Carmona
    • Played the National Anthem on guitar
  2. Joe Walsh
    • Played and sang “Thunder Rose”
  3. Erin O’Donnell
    • Sang “Love Story”
  4. Heather Young
    • Sang the National Anthem
  5. Lilly Walsh
    • Sang “Our Story”
  6. Carolyn Messina
    • Played and sang her original song, “The Fall” about 9/11
  7. Kristi Hunt
    • Sang “At Last”
  8. “Kickdown”
    • Played their original song “Burn”
    • Won the promotion consulting prize!
  9. David Kascak
    • Sang and played his original song, “Let’s Go Lovebird”
  10. Elaine Magentiren
    • Sang “Ave Maria”
    • Won the National Anthem prize!
  11. Megan Dunn
    • Played and sang her original song, “Crocodile”
    • Received an honorable mention!
  12. Joey Cavelli
    • Played and sang his original song, “Biggest Regret”
  13. Josh & Micah
    • Sang and played “Tears from Heaven”
  14. Daniel Ricany
    • Played an original piece on his electric guitar
  15. Christine Tack
    • Sang “Stay Beautiful”
  16. Sebastian Rivera
    • Played and sang his original song, “Balance” *(Thanks Paula!)
    • Won the recording studio time prize!
  17. “6 Ways to Saturday”
    • Played their original song, “Please Understand”

Congratulations to everybody that performed, and a double-congratulations to those that won! Jersey Idol raised nearly $1000 dollars for St. Hubert’s animal shelter on Saturday, October 4th, 2009!

We’re also now featured on Garwood365.blogspot.com, as well as the St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center homepage!

Tags: , ,